


Fever

by merciki



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M, modern day AU, tales of panem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-19 21:02:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20322544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merciki/pseuds/merciki
Summary: Did you know we were heading right into a glacial era ? Peeta is about to find out.





	Fever

**Author's Note:**

> My huge thanks to the incredible @xerxia31 for her beta skills. Hope you guys enjoy this little piece …

“Can you believe we’re heading into a glacial era?” 

I turn my head in surprise. Usually, Katniss Everdeen doesn’t talk to anyone, goes in and out of Abernathy’s Development Inc, without acknowledging anyone. Yet, I can’t be mistaken as I am the only one in the elevator with her this morning.

“Are we?” What can I say, I’m just an architect, not a biologist like she is.

“Unless we fuck this up, yes.”

This almost undoes me. Katniss Everdeen saying fuck. My very male mind goes to places it shouldn’t, imagining the curves of her body that are currently hidden by a very white lab coat, imagining her moaning under me, or over me.

I have to take a deep breath. I have no idea where this crush for her comes from. She’s far from being the most attractive woman in the building. Madge Undersee has legs for days, blue eyes that shine like sapphire. Delly Cartwright has curves that are to die for, milky breasts and a very round bottom. Johanna Mason is thin and toned, with a piercing in her belly that shines a little too much.

Katniss is just - I don’t know … You wouldn’t notice her in a crowded room, yet I’ve pretty much always noticed her. Maybe it’s her dark hair that she always braids, or sometimes braids then ties in a bun on her head, or maybe it’s the color of her eyes, a gray I have never seen before.

Doesn’t explain my crush, though. Yet, it’s there. 

I sigh. 

“You’re Peeta Mellark, right? Rye’s brother?” I close my eyes. Of course, she would only know me by my brother, the Mellark that got everything. Looks, a career as the top wrestler of the country, a qualification for the Olympics, when I am only the little brother who eats too many donuts.

“Yeah, the one and only.” I try to joke it away, as I always do.

“You shouldn’t have let him win in his senior year.”

I’m glad I didn’t grab a Chai Latte at Starbucks this morning, or it would now be all over my shirt right now.

“What? How?” Once again, I am rendered speechless by a mere sentence of hers. I really need to get a grip.

“I saw the final match, you let him take your arm.”

I did. I knew there was a recruiter from Berkeley, that it was my brother’s chance to win his scholarship in his choice university. How the recruiter didn’t notice that I threw the match, I have no idea. 

“It was a beginner’s mistake.” I shrug everything off. Why is this elevator taking so long today?

“It was nice of you.” 

The ping of the elevator startles me as I try to find a suitable answer for her. A mere “thank you” wouldn’t do, as it would mean I’d admit I let Rye win. It’s a lose-lose situation.

“It’s your floor”, she says as she puts her hand between the doors so they won’t close as I, Peeta Mellark, can’t seem to leave this elevator.

She knows my floor.

“Yup, and I should be going.” I finally remember how to use my legs again.

As I pass in front of her, her perfume hits me right in the feels. I thought she would wear something very feminine, whereas she smells like a forest after the rain. It’s heady, yet light. The kind of perfume you can’t forget.

The elevator pings again as the doors close. She leaves for the upper floors, where I know the labs are.

It takes me the whole day to get over my encounter - only when Thresh suggests we hang out at The Hob like any other Friday do I start thinking of my weekend.

I’m supposed to meet with my family so we can all gush about Rye’s latest accomplishment, or Flax’s awesomeness. I don’t really care, I’ll just take the chance to play with my nephews, something I always look forward to.

I have just ordered my first beer when I see her come in. She never comes to Friday hangouts, even though other people from the labs do usually come.

“Kitty Kat! You’re finally out of your cage, ready to meet us poor people!” I hear Finnick’s voice, as well as the entire rest of the bar, I think. He’s always had a thing for nicknaming everybody.

I can’t help but look at her. She doesn’t answer Finn as she tries to find a place to sit down, until she spots a free chair. She finally catches my eye, and I n swear I see her wink.

The group settles into our usual Friday night routine, except I try not to look at Katniss every five seconds, which takes a lot of my willpower. I mean, it’s not like because she talked to me for three minutes today that she wants something more.

Right? Right.

Music starts to fill the place as a band has taken the small stage over. As I look at the musicians, I understand why Katniss came. Gale Hawthorne is the singer.

Of course she didn’t come for me. She came for Tall, Dark and Broody. Those two were inseparable through grade school, middle school and high school. They even both went to Panem U together. 

Although they didn’t attend the same courses, Hawthorne was always driving her. Forth. And back.

It’s not like I noticed.

The Mockingjays (what an awful name for a band) start their gig, featuring covers of rock songs that draw people from their seats, to the small dance floor in front of the makeshift stage, that prompts them to start dancing.

Soon enough, our whole table is jumping up and down to Joan Jett’s I love Rock and Roll.

Our whole table minus me and Katniss.

“Don’t you want to dance?” she asks me as she moves to sit just in front of me.

I shrug the answer away. I’ve never been a good dancer, a torn ACL back in my youth made sure of that.

“Come on, it’ll be fun…” She leans towards me, over the table. 

“Don’t you want to go cheer on your boyfriend?” I ask, because no way am I going to make a fool of myself on the dance floor In front of him!

She’s taken aback, her brows furrowed.

“My boyfriend? I don’t have a boyfriend!”

It’s my turn to be surprised.

“Gale isn’t?”

“He’s my cousin!”

“He’s your cousin?”

He’s her cousin! I can’t believe it.

“Well, it’s complicated because he is the son of my uncle’s second wife, but from another man, but still, he’s my cousin.” She explains. “What does that have to do with dancing?”

“I thought he was your boyfriend, that maybe he would be … jealous?”

She starts to laugh. It’s like a cascade of crystal falling into the water, refreshing, pure and true.

“Well, unless you decide to get too close to Madge, you’re safe.”

The music changes to something more bluesy, something I easily recognize. As I watch the bassist, a girl with tattoos and piercings walking closer to the mike, I notice Katniss moving.

She’s standing up now, holding her hand out to me.

“Are you coming?” she asks. All the fibers in my body are pleading me to accept, so I relent.

As we arrive on the makeshift dance floor, she starts moving to the music as the singers begin with the lyrics.

I never imagined how much the lyrics of a song could fit real life.

When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that’s so hard to bear

I watch as Katniss comes closer to me, putting her arms on my shoulder, looking at me fiercely.

Is it me or is it hot in this bar ?

She sways, getting closer to me with each step, until her hips touch mine. I could let go, could step away, but I really don’t want to.

She gives me a fever.

(We do not ride the elevators together again after being caught with my hands under her shirt and hers on my ass. Totally worth it, though.)


End file.
